EU bans Russian media outlets

The EU Council suspended the broadcasting of four Russian media outlets including the state-run news agency RIA Novosti over "war propaganda.”

The Council of the European Union banned such outlets as Voice of Europe, RIA Novosti, Izvestia and Rossiyskaya Gazeta in the EU for "military propaganda,” a statement published on the website of the EU Council said.

"These media outlets are under the permanent direct or indirect control of the leadership of the Russian Federation, and have been essential and instrumental in bringing forward and supporting Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine, and for the destabilisation of its neighbouring countries,” the statement said.

The EU Council accused Russia of waging "systematic, international campaign of media and information manipulation, interference and grave distortion of facts in order to justify and support its full-scale aggression against Ukraine, and to enhance its strategy of destabilisation of its neighbouring countries, and of the EU and its member states.”

Russian officials have repeatedly called Western sanctions illegal. Moscow denies any accusations of media manipulation.

Voice of Europe publication was founded in 2017 and was initially based in the Netherlands, but it was later closed and relaunched in 2023 in the Czech Republic. In the EU, Voice of Europe has been repeatedly criticised for disseminating Russian propaganda. The publication is associated with Viktor Medvedchuk, the former leader of the Opposition Platform — For Life Party, which is banned in Ukraine.

Since the beginning of the special operation in Ukraine, the EU has banned broadcasting activities of several Russian media, including NTV/NTV Mir, Rossiya 1, REN TV, Channel One, RT and Sputnik. A number of countries, for example in Latvia, restricted the broadcasting of 80 Russian TV channels. YouTube channels of many Russian media outlets were also blocked.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that Russia would respond accordingly.

"We will respond. We are now working on measures to be taken in response," she said.